So, my employer is giving me money to update my material.
When I initially purchased my current laptop, I used it alongside a docking station, in my office, and was planning to leave it there most of the time, only bringing it to conferences, research trips, etc. and continue to work from home, using my desktop.
However, one of the few advantages of growing older is starting to know oneself. I finally realized I can't work from home (and I need it to be as work-free as possible), and have thus continually been using a laptop which was not meant to be moved around (it's heavy).
So, the plan is now to put the laptop back on the docking station, and have a writing computer that I can use to write in cafés and bars (cue for Cdm's judgment). It needs to be performing enough to have multiple windows opened (pdfs, photos, and word processors): I purchased a cheap HP to do so two years ago, but it's so horribly slow, and can't even handle such a task, that I never use it.
I have no plan to convert to apple, so needs to be pc. I have been scouring the web for ideas, but if people have good experiences with make and model, I would be glad for advice.
Though I hate the name, I love the 2-in-1s like the Windows Surface and HP Spectre X2. Light but effective and you get the benefit of being able to do touchscreen + keyboard/mouse.
Quote from: garbon on August 23, 2017, 04:09:39 PM
Though I hate the name, I love the 2-in-1s like the Windows Surface and HP Spectre X2. Light but effective and you get the benefit of being able to do touchscreen + keyboard/mouse.
Yes, this is sound advice.
Though some of the surface 2in1s have a higher hardware failure rate than the average, at least according to American Which.
The questions are, how good? how light? and, though not addressed at all in the OP, how much you want to spend?
I've got a cheap HP laptop I got last year (first laptop I've ever had) and it does pretty much everything I need it to do. Granted, I don't do much but play CKII and surf the net anymore, but there are times I'm doing more than that and it works fine. Might not suit your needs though. What are the specs of your current unsatisfactory laptop?
I have two current unsatisfactory laptops. One, because it's heavy and blocky. Not too many complaints about performance. It will return to the docking station in the office.
The other was intended to be carried around to write and work. As I have written above, I need it to handle multiple windows opened (pdf, photos, word processors, excel), and not suck. The cheap HP I bought hoping it would fill that role, is crap. http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-stream---11-y010nr-%28energy-star%29
It has a hard time just dealing with the OS, and the usual bloatware.
I need to watch anime in 1080p when I travel, so I also need a fast and light laptop. I am very happy with my current Samsung Ativ, which weighs slightly less than 1kg, and has an i7 CPU and an SSD. 13 inch screen. It does most things well. I haven't tried playing games on it though.
Since I need it to work and write, playing games (or videos) on it is not my concern.
Quote from: Oexmelin on August 23, 2017, 06:22:42 PM
I have two current unsatisfactory laptops. One, because it's heavy and blocky. Not too many complaints about performance. It will return to the docking station in the office.
The other was intended to be carried around to write and work. As I have written above, I need it to handle multiple windows opened (pdf, photos, word processors, excel), and not suck. The cheap HP I bought hoping it would fill that role, is crap. http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-stream---11-y010nr-%28energy-star%29
It has a hard time just dealing with the OS, and the usual bloatware.
I had the 13 inch version of that, and after a couple of months it just stopped working, sealed in battery meant I couldn't swap anything, so back it went for a refund. Nice colour case though. :D
Yeah, and it had good reviews, so I now take those with a huge grain of salt.
Quote from: Oexmelin on August 23, 2017, 06:57:29 PM
Since I need it to work and write, playing games (or videos) on it is not my concern.
Cost me like US$1,250 back then. I had a big discount because I paid cash (as in banknotes) to the retailer.
I plan to pay in gold dust gathered from the Klondike.
I have a Lenovo Thinkpad T460 for work and I am very happy with that. Light-weight, long battery life, very good display.
Quote from: Oexmelin on August 23, 2017, 06:22:42 PM
I have two current unsatisfactory laptops. One, because it's heavy and blocky. Not too many complaints about performance. It will return to the docking station in the office.
The other was intended to be carried around to write and work. As I have written above, I need it to handle multiple windows opened (pdf, photos, word processors, excel), and not suck. The cheap HP I bought hoping it would fill that role, is crap. http://store.hp.com/us/en/pdp/hp-stream---11-y010nr-%28energy-star%29
It has a hard time just dealing with the OS, and the usual bloatware.
I hate HP Laptops, personally. Had one for my dad's girlfriend, won't repeat the experience again.
How large a screen do you need? The larger, the more confortable it is to read&work a long time, but the heavier it gets.
15" is usually a good compromise, but I would advise you to to in a computer shop and compare different screen sizes. 15" will not do 1920x1080 though.
Specs: 8gb memory absolute minimum, ideally 16gb (most of the budget laptop use shared memory for video and computer).
SSD: will be faster, more expensive also.
1TB hard drive
You could look through this page, find a model that seems appealing, then check where you can get the best price in the US (NCIX also has a US site, but there is less choice on it):
http://www.ncix.com/notebooks/
Quote from: viper37 on August 24, 2017, 01:42:47 PM
I hate HP Laptops, personally. Had one for my dad's girlfriend, won't repeat the experience again.
I've been pretty satisfied with mine so far, but it is fairly heavy, so I don't think it would be a good fit for what Oex is looking for.
Quote from: dps on August 26, 2017, 01:13:03 PM
Quote from: viper37 on August 24, 2017, 01:42:47 PM
I hate HP Laptops, personally. Had one for my dad's girlfriend, won't repeat the experience again.
I've been pretty satisfied with mine so far, but it is fairly heavy, so I don't think it would be a good fit for what Oex is looking for.
HP got my loyalty transferred to it when they bought Compaq. -_-
Anyone has experience with the reborn Vaio? Or LG Gram?
Cnet is usually a good source for reviews:
LG Gram (https://www.cnet.com/products/lg-gram-15-2017/review/)
Vaio Z Flip (https://www.cnet.com/products/vaio-z-flip/review/)
So, it seems I am going to give HP another try - the Specter is highly reviewed from Cnet and Consumer Report. Thanks to everyone who replied!
Inauspicious beginnings. Or not: apparently demand was so high (or the excuse so convenient) that shipping the computer I ordered back in September had to be delayed until late October...